Bayer: Stop Killing Our Bees

Our bees are dying at alarming rates -- U.S beekeepers lost a staggering 1/3 of commercial honey bee hives last winter. We are rapidly nearing the point at which we will no longer have enough bees left to pollinate our crops.

Yet Bayer Crop Science continues to churn out neonicotinoid pesticides which we now know are responsible for part, if not all, of the bee die-offs. Meanwhile Bayer touts its commitment to "sustainability" and proclaims itself the "protector of crops." But how on earth does peddling toxic chemicals that kill the very bees our crops rely on equal "protecting our crops"???

Bayer must stop manufacturing and marketing these chemicals that are killing our bees and poisoning our soil and other living things in the process.

CEO & Head of Crop Protection for North America, Bayer Crop Science USBayer CEO, James Blome

As an appreciator of pollinators and someone who enjoys food (especially almonds, blueberries, cherries, peaches, plums, pears, broccoli, onions, peppers, tomatoes and about 100 other vital and nutritious crops), I am writing to urge you to please halt production and sales of all neonicotinoid pesticides (namely, imidacloprid and chlothianidin) for the next two years and to halt development of any new ones until further study has conclusively proven their safety.

Several recent studies point to these chemicals as being responsible, in part, if not all, for the massive die-offs of honey bees in the U.S., Europe and other parts of the world over the past 7-8 years.

I know that you claim a commitment to sustainability in everything you do and that you call Bayer Crop Science the "Protector of Crops" but I do not believe that continuing to market a class of pesticides that is killing off the very honey bees so many of our crops depend on equals "protecting" them or in any way aligns with a commitment to sustainability.

I urge you to stop paying lip service to environmental concerns and align your business practices with your branding before you kill off all our pollinators. After all, once the crops are useless, there will be a lot less farmers buying your toxic pesticides...